Rolling mills

ABSTRACT

In a rolling mill the bearing chock assemblies of the processing rolls are arranged with the chocks on one roll in the chocks of the other roll and the chock assemblies are provided with wheels, rollers or slide surfaces which are brought into engagement with beams in the mill housings for the purpose of roll changing. The novelty resides particularly in that the wheels on adjacent chocks engage the same beams with the wheels on one chock behind the wheels on the other chock and in this way the processing rolls and their chocks can be withdrawn together from the mill housings at fixed centers and with the rolls spaced apart.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,171,304 3/1965 Sims et a1 72/241 3,446,050 5/1969 O'Brien 72/239 3,501,936 3/1970 Stubbs 72/243 Primary ExaminerCharles W. Lanham Assistant ExaminerB. J. Mustaikis Anomey-Henry C. Westin ABSTRACT: In a rolling mill the bearing chock assemblies of the processing rolls are arranged with the chocks on one roll in the chocks of the other roll and the chock assemblies are provided with wheels, rollers or slide surfaces which are brought 7 into engagement with beams in the mill housings for the purpose of roll changing. The novelty resides particularly in that the wheels on adjacent chocks engage the same beams with the wheels on one chock behind the wheels on the other chock and in this way the processing rolls and their chocks can be withdrawn together from the mill housings at fixed centers and with the rolls spaced apart.

PATENTEU JULZO I971 SHEET 3 0F 4 ROLLING MILLS This invention relates to rolling mills and in particular to a construction of rolling mill which enables the pair of processing rolls of the mill, during roll changing, to be withdrawn from and introduced into the mill housings as a pair in fixed spaced-apart relation.

The processing rolls of a rolling mill have to be changed at regular intervals and it is necessary for the time taken to.

change the rolls to be reduced as far as possible. To this end it is desirable that the processing rolls are withdrawn from the mill housings as a pair and that the replacement rolls are introduced into the housings as a pair.

According to a first aspect of the invention a rolling mill comprises a pair of spaced-apart housings each of which defines a window receiving the bearing chock assemblies carried at one end of each of a pair of processing rolls, one'of the pair of chocks of the processing rolls in each window being positioned in the other and each carrying means engageable one behind the other with support beams in the housing windows whereby the chocks are supported by said beams with the processing rolls in fixed spaced-apart relation as the rolls are together withdrawn from and introduced'into the housings.

Accordingto a second aspect of the invention a four-high rolling mill comprises a pair of spaced-apart housings each of which defines a window receiving the bearing chock assemblies carried at one end of each of a pair of processing rolls and the be:. ing chock assemblies carried at one end of each of a pair of backup rolls, means for raising andlowering the chocks of one of the backup rolls relative to the housings and one of the pair of chocks of the processing rolls in each window being positioned'in the other and each carrying means engageable one behind the other with support beams in the windows whereby the chocks of the processing rolls are supported by the beams with the processing rolls in fixed spaced-apart relation as the processing rolls are together withdrawn from and introduced into the housings.

The means carriedby the bearing chock assemblies of the processing rolls may be wheels, rollers or slides although wheels are preferred. The provision of the wheels, rollers or slides enables the processing rolls to beseparated to fixed centers during the changing operation of the processing rolls. An advantage of the processing rolls being separated tofixed centers is that the drive spindles for the processing rolls can be parked at a fixed position thereby facilitating the. coupling connection between the new pair of processing rolls and their respective drive spindles. A further advantage lies in the fact that when the processing rolls have been withdrawn, as a pair, from the housings the upper processing roll and its bearing chock assemblies can be lifted vertically by means of a crane or jacks away from the lower work roll chock assemblies.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation, partly in section, of part of a fourhigh rolling mill in accordance with one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of part of a fourhigh rolling mill in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bearing chock assemblies for the processing rolls of the mills shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the chocks shownin FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the chocks shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 the bearing chock assemblies at one end of each of the rolls of a four-high rolling mill are shown in the window defined by a rigid housing. It will be appreciated that the other end of each of the rolls will be provided with similar bearing chock assemblies mounted in the window defined by a second rigid housing.

I end of the upper and lower backup rolls respectively. Between .the upper and lower chock assemblies l2, 13 there are arranged the bearing chock assemblies 14, 15 of the upper and lower processing rolls I6, 17 respectively. The lower chockassembly 15 is nested in the upper chock assembly 14 and the construction of these chocks will be described .in more detail later. Thechocks 14, 15 are provided with slide surfaces l8, 19 respectively which facilitate the relative vertical movement of each chock with respect to the other.

Two blocks 21, 22 are secured, for example by bolts, not

shown, to the housing 10 and are positioned in the window on oppositesides of the chock assemblies I4, 15. The blocks are held in position by keys 23. The blocks. have slide surfaces 24 which cooperate with slide surfaces 25 on the upper processing roll chock 14. The slide surfaces 24 serve to guide the upper roll chock 14 as it is moved vertically by a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 26 mounted in each of the blocks 21, 22. Eachassembly can comprise two doubleacting pistons or two single-acting pistons with a spring return.

The pistons act against the chocks of the two processing rollsto urge the processing rolls against their respective backup roll. If desired; load cells may be provided between the pistons and the chocks. In the arrangement shown in FIG. I, each assembly includes bore 35 in the block 21, 22, two double-acting pistons 36, 37 projecting from the bore and means (not shown) mounted on the housing for supplyingfluid underv pressure to'the bore between the two pistons and to spaces 42 between piston rings 43' on the pistons and the ends of the bore 35.

Referring now to FIGS. 3', 4 and 5, the construction of the bearing chock assemblies l4, 15 will be described. The upper chock 14 has a recess 50 in its lower face in which, is positioned the lower chock 15; The lower chock is provided with a. pair of members in the form of wings 51 positioned on opposite sides of the chock and the wings project outwardly of the chock 14 through a pair of openings 52 in the opposite sidewalls of the chock 1 4. The wings 51 lie adjacent a pair of similar wings 53 provided on opposite sides of the chock 14. The wings 51 on the lower chock are disposed vertically below further wings 54 on the upper chock and the pistons-36, 37, act between the wings 54 and 51. Each of the wings 53 carries means in the form of a wheel 55 by which the chock may be supported on a support beam and a further wheel 56is carried on each of the wings 51. On each side of the chocks, the wheels 55 and 56 are aligned one behind the other andare positioned above a pair of support beams 57, 58 (FIG. 1) in the housing window. The wheels of the top chock are positioned slightly. above the wheels of the bottom chock so that when both sets of wheels are supported on the support beams the top roll is positioned in fixed spaced-apart relation relative to the bottom roll.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. I, the support beam are stationary and are formed by depending portions of the blocks 21 and 22. The lower backup roll chocks 13 are movable vertically with respect to'the housings by roll adjustment means which may take the form of a pair of hydraulic piston cylinder arrangements 60 located one in each of the housing windows. The cylinders bear against the housings-and the pistons act against the underside of the lower backup chocks. As altematives to piston cylinder arrangements, arrangement employing screws or wedges may be provided. In order to change the processing rolls, the lower backup roll chocks are lowered by the roll-adjusting means and this permits the chocks of the lower processing roll to be lowered until the wheels 56 engage the support beams 57, 58. On releasing the pistons 36 the.

the beams 57 and 58. The replacement rolls are introduced as a pair onto the beams 57, 58 and rolled into the housings.

The embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that the lower backup roll chocks 13 are fixed in the housings and the support beams, one of which is indicated by reference numeral 59, can be raised and lowered in the housings. The chocks of the upper backup roll are supported by a beam-type balance system or by hydraulic piston and cylinder devices whereby the top backup roll can be raised and lowered relative to the housings. To change the processing rolls the upper backup roll is lifted out of engagement with the upper processing roll and the support beams are lifted as for example by piston cylinder arrangements 61 until they engage and support the wheels on the processing roll chocks with the lower processing roll clear of the lower backup roll. The processing rolls and their chocks are then withdrawn longitudinally from the housings whilst supported on the beams.

I claim:

l. A rolling mill comprising a pair of spaced-apart housing each of which defines a window, a pair of processing rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, the assemblies at one pair of adjacent ends of the rolls received in the window in one housing and the assemblies at the other pair of adjacent ends received in the window of the other housing, one of the pair of chocks of the processing rolls in each window being positioned in the other chock and each chock-carrying support means engageable with beams in the windows and means for causing relative vertical movement between the support means and the beams, said means being operative to disengage the support means from the beams during rolling and to engage said beams, with the support means on the chocks in each housing positioned one behind the other during roll changing.

2. A four-high rolling mill comprising a pair of spaced-apart housings each of which defines a window a pair of processing rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, a pair of backup rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, the bearing chock assemblies being received in said windows, one of the pair of chock assemblies of the processing rolls in each window being positioned in the other chock assembly and each chock assembly of the processing rolls carrying support means engageable with beams in the windows and means for causing relative vertical movement between the support means and the beams, said means being operative to disengage the support means form the beams during rolling and to engage said beams with the support means on the chocks in each housing positioned one behind the other during roll changing. I

3. A rolling mill as claimed in claim I in which in each window one processing roll chock assembly defines a recess in I one face thereof and the other processing roll chock assembly is located in that recess.

4. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which in each window one processing roll chock assemblydefines a recess in one face thereof and the other processing roll chock assembly is located in that recess.

5. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 4 in which the processing ,roll chock assembly positioned in the recess has a pair of members projecting outwardly of the recess and carrying said support means engageable with the support beams.

6. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 5 in which said members project outwardly of the chock defining the recess through openings inthe sidewalls of the chock.

7. A rolling mill as'claimed in claim 1 in which the support means comprise wheels.

8. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 5 in which the support means comprise wheels.

9. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which the chock assemblies of the lower backup roll are displaceable vertically with respect to the housings, means are provided for displacing said chock assemblies, and the beams are fixed in the housing windows.

10. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 9 in which the means for displacing said chock assemblies comprise hydraulic piston cylinder assemblies positioned between the housings and the lower backup roll chock assemblies.

11. A rolling mill as claimed ll'l claim 9 in which extensible means carried by the housings are provided, which means serve to urge processing rolls into engagement with their respective backup roll when the mill is in use.

' l2. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which the chock assemblies of the lower backup roll are fixed in the housings, the chocks of the upper backup roll are displaceable vertically in the housings and means are provided for displacing the beams vertically relative to the housings. 

1. A rolling mill comprising a pair of spaced-apart housing each of which defines a window, a pair of processing rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, the assemblies at one pair of adjacent ends of the rolls received in the window in one housing and the assemblies at the other pair of adjacent ends received in the window of the other housing, one of the pair of chocks of the processing rolls in each window being positioned in the other chock and each chock-carrying support means engageable with beams in the windows and means for causing relative vertical movement between the support means and the beams, said means being operative to disengage the support means from the beams during rolling and to engage said beams, with the support means on the chocks in each housing positioned one behind the other during roll changing.
 2. A four-high rolling mill comprising a pair of spaced-apart housings each of which defines a window a pair of processing rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, a pair of backup rolls each having bearing chock assemblies at its ends, the bearing chock assemblies being received in said windows, one of the pair of chock assemblies of the processing rolls in each window being positioned in the other chock assembly and each chock assembly of the processing rolls carrying support means engageable with beams in the windows and means for causing relative vertical movement between the support means and the beams, said means being operative to disengage the support means form the beams during rolling and to engage said beams with the support means on the chocks in each housing positioned one behind the other during roll changing.
 3. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1 in which in each window one processing roll chock assembly defines a recess in one face thereof and the other processing roll chock assembly is located in that recess.
 4. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which in each window one processing roll chock assembly defines a recess in one face thereof and the other processing roll chock assembly is located in that recess.
 5. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 4 in which the processing roll chock assembly positioned in the recess has a pair of members projecting outwardly of the recess and carrying said support means engageable with the support beams.
 6. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 5 in which said members project outwardly of the chock defining the recess through openings in the sidewalls of the chock.
 7. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1 in which the support means comprise wheels.
 8. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 5 in which the support means comprise wheels.
 9. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which the chock assemblies of the lower backup roll are displaceable vertically with respect to the housings, means are provided for displacing said chock assemblies, and the beams are fixed in the housing windows.
 10. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 9 in which the means for displacing said chock assemblies comprise hydraulic piston cylinder assemblies positioned between the housings and the lower backup roll chock assemblies.
 11. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 9 in which extensible means carried by the housings are provided, which means serve to urge processing rolls into engagement with their respective backup roll when the mill is in use.
 12. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2 in which the chock assemblies of the lower backup roll are fixed in the housings, the chocks of the upper backup roll are displaceable vertically in the housings and means are provided for displacing the beams vertically relative to the housings. 